Package for battery-powered electrical power tool

ABSTRACT

A package includes a bottom wall, an upper wall located opposite the bottom wall and a vertical wall extending between the bottom wall and the upper wall. A first space configured to accommodate a body of an electrical power tool and a second space configured to accommodate a battery pack detached from the body are defined between the bottom wall and the upper wall. An opening is defined in the vertical wall to enable the battery pack to be inserted into the second space through the opening in a state where the body is accommodated within the first space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2020-135161, filed on Aug. 7, 2020, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The art disclosed herein relates to a package for an electrical powertool configured to be powered by a battery pack.

BACKGROUND

In manufacturing plants of industrial products, typically finishedindustrial products are packed in packages prior to being shipped. Dueto this, various types of packages are used in accordance with themanufactured industrial products (for example, see Japanese PatentApplication Publication NO. H6-321284). For an electrical power toolpowered by a battery pack, both a body of the electrical power tool andthe battery pack detached therefrom are packed in a same package.Further, a large quantity of packed electrical power tools is stored ina storage facility such as a warehouse until they are shipped.

In the electrical power tool, a lithium ion battery is widely employedas a battery for the battery pack. Electrolyte of the lithium ionbattery is a hazardous material with combustibility, similar topetroleum for example. Due to this, in a facility that stores lithiumion batteries exceeding a certain quantity is regarded as a hazardousmaterial facility under the requirements of the Fire Service Law, andsuch a facility is required to place predetermined safety measures. In amanufacturing plant of the electrical power tool as well, when thebattery pack of the electrical power tool includes the lithium ionbattery, a large quantity of packed electrical power tools must bestored in a special storage facility conforming to the requirements ofthe Fire Service Law.

SUMMARY

A package of an electrical power tool accommodates not only a batterypack but also a body of the electrical power tool. As such, the packageof the electrical power tool has a relatively large size, and when suchlarge-sized packages are to be stored in a large quantity, a spacerequired for the aforementioned special storage facility becomesaccordingly large. However, as compared to other normal storagefacilities, the special storage facility conforming to the requirementsof the Fire Service Law requires higher cost in its installation andmaintenance. Thus, the large quantity of packages of electrical powertools occupying a large space in the special storage facility isresulting in a problem such as a manufacturing cost increase.

In regard to the above problem, consideration could be given to packingonly the body of the electrical power tool first, and further packingthe battery pack in that package at a time of shipping or at a timingclose to the shipping. By such a procedure, the package of theelectrical power tool can be stored in a normal storage facility untilthe battery pack is packed therein, and the space required for thespecial storage facility can be reduced. However, work to open each ofthe large quantity of packages that had been stored and to add thebattery pack thereto is burdensome, and this may lead to a decrease ofproductivity.

The description herein provides an art that facilitates additionallypacking a battery pack in a package accommodating a body of anelectrical power tool.

In one aspect of the present teachings, provided is a package for anelectrical power tool configured to be powered by a battery pack. Thepackage may comprise a bottom wall, an upper wall located opposite thebottom wall and a vertical wall extending between the bottom wall andthe upper wall first space configured to accommodate a body of theelectrical power tool and a second space configured to accommodate thebattery pack detached from the body are defined between the bottom walland the upper wall. An opening is defined in the vertical wall to enablethe battery pack to be inserted into the second space through theopening in a state where the body is accommodated within the firstspace.

In the aforementioned package, the opening is defined in the verticalwall, and the battery pack can be inserted through the opening into thepackage in which the body is already accommodated in advance. Due tothis, only the body of the electrical power tool can be packed andstored in advance, and the battery pack can further be packed easilyinto this package at a time of shipping or at a timing close to theshipping. Especially since the opening is defined in the vertical wall,the battery pack can be inserted into each of such packages even in astate where a plurality of packages is stacked.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an outer appearance of a package 10 of an embodiment in astate where an upper wall 14 is closed.

FIG. 2 shows the outer appearance of the package 10 of the embodiment ina state where the upper wall 14 is opened.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an internal structure of the package 10 ofthe embodiment in a state where an opening 18 is closed.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the package 10of the embodiment in a state where the opening 18 is opened.

FIG. 5 shows a state of inserting a battery pack 4 into the package 10through the opening 18 in a state where a plurality of packages 10 isstacked.

FIG. 6 shows a package 110 of another embodiment in a state where abattery pack package 112 accommodating a battery pack 4 is inserted intothe package 110 through an opening 18 in a state where a plurality ofpackages 110 is stacked.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In an embodiment of the art disclosed herein, the opening of thevertical wall may have a size not allowing the body to pass through theopening. That is, the opening may have the size through which thebattery pack can pass. By reducing the size of the opening, a decreasein strength of the package, for example, may be suppressed.

In an embodiment of the art disclosed herein, the vertical wall may beprovided with a flap configured to open and close the opening. Accordingto such a configuration, the battery pack undesirably detaching from thepackage and a foreign matter entering into the package can be avoided.Alternatively as another embodiment, a lid-like member configured toclose the opening of the vertical wall may be inserted into the openingalong with or independent from the battery pack.

In an embodiment of the art disclosed herein, the upper wall may beconfigured openable. In this case, the upper wall may enable the body tobe inserted into and taken out from the first space. When the upper wallis opened. According to such a configuration, even when the body of theelectrical power tool is relatively large, this body can easily beinserted from above into the package.

In an embodiment of the art disclosed herein, the vertical wall maycomprise a front wall, a rear wall located opposite the front wall, anda pair of side walls extending between the front wall and the rear wall.In this case, although not particularly limited, the package may have asubstantially cuboid shape. Further, the walls of the package are notlimited to being flat, and may be curved inward or outward.

In the aforementioned embodiment, an area of each side wall may besmaller than any of an area of the front wall and an area of the rearwall. In this case, the opening may be located on at least one of thepair of side walls. According to such a configuration, decrease instrength of the package caused by defining the opening can be suppressedrelatively small.

In addition to or as a substitute to the above, an area of the upperwall as well as an area of the bottom wall may be smaller than any ofthe area of the front wall and the area of the rear wall. According tosuch a configuration, a plurality of packages can stably be stacked.Further, the battery pack can be inserted through the opening of theside wall into each of the plurality of stacked packages.

In an embodiment of the art disclosed herein, the package may furthercomprise a partition that is located between the first space and thesecond space and at least partially separates the first space from thesecond space. According to such a configuration, positions of the bodyof the electrical power tool and the battery pack inside the package canstably be set.

In the aforementioned embodiment, the partition may be configured tosecure at least one of the body accommodated in the first space and thebattery pack accommodated in the second space. According to such aconfiguration, the positions of the body of the electrical power tooland/or the battery pack inside the package can be set even more stably.

The description herein provides a method of packing a plurality ofelectrical power tools each configured to be powered by a battery packinto a plurality of packages being one of the aforementioned packages.This method may comprise: placing the bodies into the first spaces ofthe plurality of packages, respectively; stacking the plurality ofpackages in which the bodies are accommodated; and inserting the batterypacks into the second spaces of the plurality of stacked packagesthrough the openings on the vertical walls, respectively.

Representative, non-limiting examples of the present disclosure will nowbe described in further detail with reference to the attached drawings.This detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of skillin the art further details for practicing aspects of the presentteachings and is not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure. Furthermore, each of the additional features and teachingsdisclosed below may be utilized separately or in conjunction with otherfeatures and teachings to provide improved packages, as well as methodsfor using and manufacturing the same.

Moreover, combinations of features and steps disclosed in the followingdetailed description may not be necessary to practice the presentdisclosure in the broadest sense, and are instead taught merely toparticularly describe representative examples of the present disclosure.Furthermore, various features of the above-described and below-describedrepresentative examples, as well as the various independent anddependent claims, may be combined in ways that are not specifically andexplicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodimentsof the present teachings.

All features disclosed in the description and/or the claims are intendedto be disclosed separately and independently from each other for thepurpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purpose ofrestricting the claimed subject matter, independent of the compositionsof the features in the embodiments and/or the claims. In addition, allvalue ranges or indications of groups of entities are intended todisclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate entity forthe purpose of original written disclosure, as well as for the purposeof restricting the claimed subject matter.

A package 10 of an embodiment will be described with reference to thedrawings. The package 10 is designed for an electrical power toolconfigured to be powered by a battery pack 4, and is configured toaccommodate a body 2 of the electrical power tool, the battery pack 4configured to be detachably attached to the body 2, and a charger 6 forthe battery pack 4 (see FIG. 4). The battery pack 4 includes therein aplurality of lithium ion batteries 5 as its battery. Although not shown,the package 10 may further be configured to accommodate one or moreaccessories. The package 10 is primarily used in a manufacturing plantof the electrical power tool, and the manufactured electrical power toolis shipped by being packed in the package 10. The electrical power toolherein means an electric device used primarily for outdoor work andhaving a relatively large size. Although not particularly limited, theelectrical power tool may for example be a mower, a trimmer, a hedgetrimmer, a chain saw, a circular saw, a blower, or a vacuum cleaner.

Although this is merely an example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, theelectrical power tool of the present embodiment is a trimmer. Thistrimmer may also be called a grass trimmer. The body 2 of the electricalpower tool includes a housing 2 a to which the battery pack 4 is to bedetachably attached, a motor 2 b configured to be driven by the batterypack 4, and a tool unit 2 c (cutting blade) configured to be driven bythe motor 2 b. The body 2 of the electrical power tool further includesan elongate operation rod 2 d. One end of the operation rod 2 d isconnected to the housing 2 a and another end of the operation rod 2 d isconnected to the motor 2 b. The operation rod 2 d houses electricwirings therein, and is configured to electrically connect the batterypack 4 attached to the housing 2 a to the motor 2 b.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the package 10 is a substantiallycuboid-shaped box, and is constituted of paper material such as acorrugated board. However, a shape and material of the package 10 is notparticularly limited. The package 10 includes a bottom wall 12, an upperwall 14 located opposite the bottom wall 12, and a vertical wall 16extending between the bottom wall 12 and the upper wall 14. The bottomwall 12 and the upper wall 14 are each flat and have a rectangularshape. The bottom wall 12 and the upper wall 14 are positioned parallelto each other and face each other with an internal space of the package10 interposed between them. Each of the bottom wall 12 and the upperwall 14 is not limited to the rectangular shape, and may have anothershape. Further, each of the bottom wall 12 and the upper wall 14 may bepartially or entirely curved. The bottom wall 12 and the upper wall 14may have a same shape as each other or may have shapes different fromeach other.

The vertical wall 16 surrounds the internal space of the package 10. Thevertical wall 16 includes a front wall 16 a, a rear wall 16 b locatedopposite the front wall 16 a, and a pair of side walls 16 c extendingbetween the front wall 16 a and the rear wall 16 b. The front wall 16 aand the rear wall 16 b are each flat and have a rectangular shape. Thefront wall 16 a and the rear wall 16 b are positioned parallel to eachother and face each other with the internal space of the package 10interposed between them. Each of the pair of side walls 16 c is flat andhas a rectangular shape. Further, the pair of side walls 16 c face eachother with the internal space of the package 10 interposed between them.Each of the front wall 16 a, the rear wall 16 b, and the side walls 16 cis not limited to the rectangular shape, and may have another shape.Although not particularly limited, an area of each of the pair of sidewalls 16 c is smaller than any of an area of the front wall 16 a and anarea of the rear wall 16 b.

The upper wall 14 is configured openable. Although not particularlylimited, the upper wall 14 in the present embodiment is constituted of aplurality of flaps, each of which is configured pivotable with respect,to the vertical wall 16. The upper wall 14 is not limited to theplurality of flaps, and may have a lid-like structure configured todetachably attach to the vertical wall 16. As shown in FIG. 2, when theupper wall 14 is opened, the internal space of the package 10 becomesentirely open to outside. Although not particularly limited, an area ofthe upper wall 14 is greater than any of the area of the side wall 16 c,the area of the front wall 16 a, and the area of the rear wall 16 b ofthe vertical wall 16. As above, when the area of the upper wall 14 isrelatively large, the relatively large body 2 of the electrical powertool can easily be placed in the package 10. Further, when a pluralityof packages 10 is stacked (see FIG. 5), those packages 10 can stably beset on top of each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a first space 32 for accommodating the body 2of the electrical power tool, a second space 34 for accommodating thebattery pack 4, and a third space 36 for accommodating the charger 6 aredefined within the package 10. These spaces 32, 34, 36 are locatedbetween the bottom wall 12 and the upper wall 14 and are surrounded bythe vertical wall 16. When the upper wall 14 of the package 10 isopened, the three spaces 32, 34, 36 are opened to outside. Due to this,the first space 32. enters a state in which the body 2 of the electricalpower tool can be inserted into and taken out from, the second space 34enters a state in which the battery pack 4 can be inserted into andtaken out from, and the third space 36 enters a state in which thecharger 6 can be inserted into and taken out from.

An opening 18 and a flap 20 configured to open and close the opening 18are provided on the side wall 16 c being one wall of the vertical wall16. The opening 18 communicates with the second space 34 and has a shapethrough which the battery pack 4 can be passed. Due to this, as shown inFIG. 4, when the opening 18 is opened by opening the flap 20, thebattery pack 4 can be inserted in the second space 34, the opening 18 onthe vertical wall 16 is on the side wan 16 c defining the second space34, and is directly communicated with the second space 34 withoutintervention of the first space 32. As such, even in a state where thebody 2 is accommodated in the first space 32, the battery pack 4 canfreely be inserted into the second space 34.

The package 10 further includes a partition 22. The partition 22 atleast partially separates the first space 32 from the second space 34.Due to this, the battery pack 4 accommodated in the second space 34 issuppressed from coming into contact with the body 2 accommodated in thefirst space 32. In addition, the partition 22 contacts both the body 2accommodated in the first space 32 and the battery pack 4 accommodatedin the second space 34, and is configured to secure positions thereof.Due to this, positions and postures of the body 2 and the battery pack 4are stably set in the first space 32 and the second space 34,respectively.

Although not particularly limited, the partition 22 of the presentembodiment at least partially separates each of the first space 32 andthe second space 34 from the third space 36. Due to this, the charger 6accommodated in the third space 36 is suppressed from coming intocontact with the body 2 accommodated in the first space 32 and with thebattery pack 4 accommodated in the second space 34. Here, a specificstructure of the partition 22 is not particularly limited. The partition22 is constituted of a single corrugated board that is folded in acomplicated shape, however, as another embodiment, the partition 22 maybe constituted of a combination of a plurality of members.

As aforementioned, the package 10 of the present embodiment is used inthe manufacturing plant of the electrical power tool, and themanufactured electrical power tool is packed in the package 10 and isthen shipped. However, a timing to ship the packed electrical power toolis limited (for example, once a day), and a large quantity ofmanufactured electrical power tools are stored in the state of beingpacked in packages 10 until shipping. Here, the battery pack 4 of theelectrical power tool includes the plurality of lithium ion batteries.As such, when the battery pack 4 is accommodated in the package 10 ofthe electrical power tool, that package 10 must be stored in a specialstorage facility conforming to the requirements of the Fire Service Law.

However, the package 10 of the present embodiment accommodates not onlythe battery pack 4 but also the body 2 of the electrical power tool andthe charger 6. As such, the package 10 has a relatively large size, andwhen such large-sized packages 10 are to be stored in a large quantity,a space required for the aforementioned special storage facility becomesaccordingly large. To avoid this, consideration may be given to packingonly the body of the electrical power tool first, and further packingthe battery pack in that package at a time of shipping or at a timingclose to the shipping. By such a procedure, the package of theelectrical power tool can be stored in a normal storage facility untilthe battery pack is packed therein, and the space required for thespecial storage facility can be reduced.

Due to this, the package 10 of the present embodiment has the opening 18on the vertical wall 16, and the battery pack 4 can be inserted throughthe opening 18 into the package 10 in which the body 2 is accommodatedin advance. Due to this, only the body 2 of the electrical power tooland the charger 6 can be accommodated in the package 10 in advance, andthe battery pack 4 can further be packed in the package 10 at the timeof shipping or the timing close to the shipping. Especially in thepackage 10 of the present embodiment, the opening 18 is provided on thevertical wall 16. Due to this, even in the state where the plurality ofpackages 10 is stacked as shown in FIG. 5, the battery packs 4 can beinserted into those packages 10.

In the package 10 of the present embodiment, the opening 18 on thevertical wall 16 is designed to have a size fitting a size of the batterpack 4 but not allowing the body 2 of the electrical power tool to passtherethrough. According to such a configuration, the size of the opening18 can be made relatively small, and strength of the package 10 can besuppressed from decreasing, for example. Further, in the package 10 ofthe present embodiment, the flap 20 is provided on the vertical wall 16and the opening 18 can be closed by the flap 20, by which decrease inthe strength of the package 10 can further be suppressed.

FIG. 6 shows a package 110 of another embodiment. This package 110 doesnot have the flap 20 for the opening 18, and differs from theaforementioned package 10 in this regard. In addition, the package 110further includes a battery pack package 112 that accommodates thebattery pack 4. The battery pack package 112 is a member independentfrom the package 110, and is configured capable of being inserted intothe opening 18 of the vertical wall 16 of the package 110. That is, inthe package 110 of the present embodiment, the battery pack package 112accommodating the battery pack 4 is inserted into the second space 34inside the package 110 through the opening 18. Further, when the batterypack package 112 is inserted through the opening 18 of the package 110,the opening 18 of the package 110 is closed by the battery pack package112. According to such a configuration, the opening 18 can be closedwithout providing the flap 20 on the package 110, and decrease instrength of the package 110 can be suppressed.

The packages 10, 110 disclosed herein can optimally be used also for anelectrical power tool of which battery pack 4 does not include thelithium ion batteries 5. For example, since the body 2 of the electricalpower tool and the battery pack 4 of the electrical power tool normallydiffer in components required for manufacture thereof and in procedurestherefor, they are often manufactured in different sites at differenttimings. In such a case, the body 2 of the electrical power tool may bepacked in the package 10 or 110 at a timing when the body 2 of theelectrical power tool is prepared for packing. After this, the batterypack 4 may additionally be packed in the package 10 or 110 at a timingwhen the battery pack 4 of the electrical power tool is prepared forpacking. In the case where the battery pack 4 does not include thelithium ion batteries 5, packing of the battery pack 4 may be performedprior to packing the body 2.

What is claimed is:
 1. A package for an electrical power tool configuredto be powered by a battery pack, the package comprising: a bottom wall;an upper wall located opposite the bottom wall; and a vertical wallextending between the bottom wall and the upper wall; wherein a firstspace configured to accommodate a body of the electrical power tool anda second space configured to accommodate the battery pack detached fromthe body are defined between the bottom wall and the upper wall, and anopening is defined in the vertical wall, the opening configured toenable the battery pack to be inserted into the second space through theopening in a state where the body is accommodated within the firstspace.
 2. The package according to claim 1, wherein the opening has asize not allowing the body to pass through the opening.
 3. The packageaccording to claim 1, wherein the vertical wall is provided with a flapconfigured to open and close the opening.
 4. The package according toclaim 1, wherein the upper wall is configured openable such that theupper wall enables the body to be inserted into and taken out from thefirst space when the upper wall is opened.
 5. The package according toclaim 1, wherein the vertical wall comprises a front wall, a rear walllocated opposite the front wall, and a pair of side walls extendingbetween the front wall and the rear wall.
 6. The package according toclaim 5, wherein an area of each side wall is smaller than any of anarea of the front wall and an area of the rear wall, and the opening islocated on at least one of the pair of side walls.
 7. The packageaccording to claim 5, wherein an area of the upper wall is greater thanany of an area of the front wall and an area of the rear wall.
 8. Thepackage according to claim 1, further comprising a partition that islocated between the first space and the second space and at leastpartially separates the first space from the second space.
 9. Thepackage according to claim 8, wherein the partition is configured tosecure at least one of the body accommodated in the first space and thebattery pack accommodated in the second space.
 10. The package accordingto claim 1, wherein the opening has a size not allowing the body to passthrough the opening, and the upper wall is configured openable such thatthe upper wall enables the body e to be inserted into and taken out fromthe first space when the upper wall is opened.
 11. The package accordingto claim 10, wherein the vertical wall comprises a front wall, a rearwall located opposite the front wall, and a pair of side walls extendingbetween the front wall and the rear wall, an area of each side wall issmaller than any of an area of the front wall and an area of the rearwall, and the opening is located on at least one of the pair of sidewalls.
 12. The package according to claim 11, wherein an area of theupper wall is greater than any of an area of the front wall and an areaof the rear wall.
 13. The package according to claim 1, wherein thevertical wall comprises a front wall, a rear wall located opposite thefront wall, and a pair of side walls extending between the front walland the rear wall, an area of each side wall is smaller than any of anarea of the front wall and an area of the rear wall, and the opening islocated on at least one of the pair of side walls.
 14. The packageaccording to claim 13, wherein wherein an area of the upper wall isgreater than any of an area of the front wall and an area of the rearwall.
 15. A method of packing a plurality of electrical power tools eachconfigured to be powered by a battery pack into a plurality of packagesaccording to claim 1, the method comprising: placing the bodies into thefirst spaces of the plurality of packages, respectively; stacking theplurality of packages in which the bodies are accommodated; andinserting the battery packs into the second spaces of the plurality ofstacked packages through the openings on the vertical walls,respectively.